What Are you Guy's Using Your rifle For?

[Gunny]

Guy's

Sense I am new over here on this site I was wondering what are most of the posters over her using there BPCR for? Are most of you using them for hunting? How about competitors? Silhouette, Long Range etc? Or are you using it for plinking and just genereal rock bustin?

I'll start this off by saying I am a compeptitor and shoot BPCR Silhouette. I compete in a silhouette match almost every week. It makes for a lot of shooting and that is great. I have been known to travel for a couple of days just to get to a match, so I am a little nut's when it comes to these ols smokepoles.

Gunny

[ButlerFord45]

Howdy Gunny.
  Being new here too, I'm looking forward to replies.  I'm a Cowboy action shooter, notice I didn't say competetor?  I'm using mine in long range side matches.  Though they aren't normally very long range, 100, 350 and one range where I sometimes get to shoot has ranges to 500 yds.

Howsomeever, out my back door, I've got out to just over 1000yds.  I'm currently working on making some steel targets just to set out to play with.  I just like shooting.  I've never been to a Silhouett Match, the idea is intriguing.  I've been playing with long range lever for a couple of years, but that too is back door shooting.  I have four kids, three are shooters, a son-in-law that's a shooter, and a few friends that live close enough to bring their toys too.  The competition at our back door shoots can become pretty fierce at times.

As far as my past experiences,  I don't remember ever not having a gun, cap pistol, Matel Shootin' Shell, BB, up to 20mm electric gatling with helmet mounted sight, a side by side "shotgun" with 2.75" rocket powered pellets, and a wire guided singleshot.

I don't hunt anymore, if ya go hunting, ya want to kill something, if ya kill something, ya gotta clean it.  I just don't care for the cleaning anymore.  Besides a couple of the sons do a good job of keeping meat in the pot, and extra in the freezer.   I hope to soon make an exception to this, I really want to hunt buffalo with my sharps just one time.  OR!  WHEN I win this 300 million dollar lotery on Christmas, I'd like a trip to Alaska with my '86 with Griz on my mind.


Butler Ford

[Graybeard]

With the holiday upon us it might take the regulars a few days to get back to this.

I don't have a BPCR at present. Had a Browning BPCR but the recoil and my right shoulder with the bursitus at the level it is just didn't mix too well. Sold it.

All I ever did with it anyway was a little paper punching on my range and we use them once a year at the Annual Gathering of the folks who are regulars on my Single Shot Rifle Forum. I have a steel buffler that is 18"x26" I believe the dimensions are. We set it at 250 yards the first time and at 261 yards this year. Ain't no telling how far back we'll set it next spring at the 4th Annual.

Only three of us shot it in the buffler grudge match that first time. A whole passel of folks shot this year and I expect even more to have rifles for it next year.

GB

[The Shrink]

GB

Where is your match?  I'm stuck way out here on the East Coast, and a long drive to almost anywhere.  Never been to a Silouette shoot, although Bill (rdnck) invited me to the next Mexia Cybershoot, that'll be a flight and vacation time if I do it.  

I took mine hunting this year but didn't get a reasonable shot, so didn't shoot.  I mostly shoot for the fun of it, the challenge of learning how and managing all the variables involved.  That's why BPCR is attractive to me, nore variables to master and play with.  That and most of them can be done with normal reloading practices and on the kitchen stove.  That's attractive to a Yankee like me, especially one married to a Scot!  Let's say we tend to go beyond frugal to parsominous.

Wayne the shrink

[wiley]

for looking at and thinking about. One day that's gonna have to change.
Wiley

[Mikey]

Well Guys, I don't really know yet.  I've got this Trapdoor Springfield that looks like she could shoot up a storm but I haven't as yet fired it.  Don't even know if I will shoot it before I trade/sell it off for something else.  

I sort of like the idea of the Gibbs rifle, the one converted from a 303/308 SMLE to 45-70 but I don't know if they will shoot black powder loads well - maybe some of the guys here can help me out with this question.  I almost think I would rather play with one of those Gibbs conversions than risk ruining a collectible.

Still wondering.  Mikey.

[Gunny]

Guy's I would like to incourage more of you to try the game of silhouette. This is a great game and gives you the chance to really see what these old gun's whith there 19th century technology and iron sights can really do. When you can regularly take down those "Rams" at 500 meters or 547 yds you will truly be in heaven. It is a tough game but most of us really  are in competition with ourselves. The fellowship is as always as good as the shooting. Good friends and old gun's, you get to shoot at these steele critters and when you hit one it falls down. And no matter what you do they wont shoot back. And for this old "Marine" who was absent on the day they had the ducking class it just don't get any better than that.

Greybeard: I hear you about the recoil and that wounded shoulder. I have had in the past two Browning BPCR's a 45-70 and a 40-65. I am a big man 6'4" and 275lbs both of those Brownings would hurt you. I guess it is the stock design as much as anything else. There are plenty of other BPCR's out there that wont give you a nose bleed ever time you light them off. Try another highwall with a little more user friendly stock, and maybe with the bursitus another caliber would be better. How's about a 38-55, they be fun.

Marsh: I have to say that any time spent shooting is never wasting time, don't matter if you can hit anything or not just being out and shooting is it's own reward. I do feel for you having to shoot at only a hundred yds. these old guns dont really come in to there own until about 300yds and further, but a hundred is better than nothing that's for damn sure. I am in fact going to Mexia again this coming year.That is as long as I am looking at the grass from the green side, if I am looking at the roots I hope somebody there will drink a beer to me. I got lucky and won that match last year and to get out of the state alive I had to promise those Texicans I would come back and let them have another chance.

Shrink: My home range is in Avenal Ca. I am the match director there, but we only shoot there once a month. To shoot every weekend a feller has to be willing to put some miles on the truck. There is a silhouette match here in California every weekend somewhere, I routinly travel 500 miles one way to a couple of these and I do that every month. As I said I'm nut's. I do hope that you can make it to Mexia this coming year, as I said earlier come for the fellowship if nothing else.


Wiley: I have found in my life that sometimes the looking at and thinking about can be just as good as the having. Hang in there that perfect rifle will come a knocking on your door one day.

Butler: You sir are a lucky man -- A 1,000 yds outside the back door? Sounds a little like heaven.

Good Luck Guy's Gunny

[ButlerFord45]

Geronimo,  I'm using a Browning 1886 rifle 45-70.
I've heard that there is a long range range in western Kentucky and the idea of going sometime soon keeps growning.  Maybe I'll see ya there!  :grin:


Butler Ford

[3sharps]

Hi Gunny,  I compete twice a year at Lodi's 1000 yard matches, and shoot in anything else that is reasonably close to home in southern Wisconsin.  I am proud to say that I am one of Princess Katie's "uncles".  At the present time I am considering pulling the barrel off of one of my 1875 Sharps and rebarreling it to 40/65.  I am still thinking on it though.  I am not a great shot but feel good if I end up in the middle of the pack.  The fun and fellowship that I get from the sport more than compensates for my inability to hold center.

[Coydog C.]

Sense I am new over here on this site I was wondering what are most of the posters over her using there BPCR for?

Let me see, Hmmmmmm


hat rack?
Prybar?
Lever?
Really big paperweight?
conversation piece?

am I close?

 :lol:  :lol:

Chuck

[fredj]

I find reloading for BPC eminently satisfying as there are so many variables to play with, bullet temper, compression, different lubes etc, etc
downright fascinating and satisfying compared to modern stuff as well
as cheap if you scrounge lead and make your own lubes etc as I do,
it also slows my rifle rate of aquisition as I don't feel right about buying or building a new rifle until I've got the last one worked out as far as accurate loads etc. For the older guys like me I find shooting my .38-55
very pleasant compared to .45-70 or even .40-65. The last time I shot a
1000 yd. match I duplexed my re-barreled .45-70 original RB to meet the minimum velocity and and it kichked the snot out of me despite the sorbothane recoil pad it's fitted with, with straight BP the recoil still gets your attention but is much easier to deal with. fredj

[Bridger]

I bought a Browning BPCR at a gun show a couple of months ago and have it used only a couple of times. Seems like a great rifle but could use a little better trigger. Have only used it at 100 yards until I get used to it. Hope to try some longer yardage soon. Haven't loaded for black powder yet. One thing at a time. For me this is just a fun rifle.

[Ted Kramer]

Hi Gunny,

I've had my bpcr for about 4 years now. The area I live in here in MN allows only shotguns for deer hunting so I cannot use my Sharps here for that. Being a dairy farmer I am quite tied down and time off to travel comes at a premium. So, instead of trying to work out time away, I built two shooting ranges here on my farm. One is for m/l guns and levergun silhouette matches-130 yards max. The other range is for bpcr matches with reduced size silhouettes (same ones we use for centerfire leverguns on the other range) with the rams being set at 310 yards, turkeys at 250, pigs at 200, and chickens at 110yards. Plus I set the buffalo with the flip up tail at the 310 yd. line for ties or just fun shooting. I would like to get to the Quigley match once before they plant me, and hope to make it to Amidon, ND this summer. Nice thing about having a shooting range at home is that I can go shoot whenever I feel the urge and have time. Downside is-I live in MN and for at least three months, it's just too cold to go shoot. We've had pretty good turnouts for the matches we've held here and it has gotten to the point that is has to be invitation only so we don't get an unmanageable number.  Hated to do that but facilities can handle only so many people.

Ted Kramer, Long prairie, MN

[ButlerFord45]

Ted, I shor wud lik to heer mor bout that flip tail buff!!




Butler nother-teat-puller Ford

[TexasMac]

Hello all.  TexasMac here.
It was just a coincidence that my interested in black powder cartridge rifles (BPCRs) developed shortly after the release of one of my favorite movies, Quigley Down Under.  At the time I had a passing interest in what was commonly referred to as “buffalo guns” and was aware of the Shiloh Rifle Manufacturing Company, located in Big Timber, MT.  

Having reloaded and experimented with smokeless handgun and rifles cartridges for many years, I’d started to cast my own bullets.  I also own a custom target-grade muzzleloader and competed at a local black powder range, so my powder stock contained a few cans of Goex 2Fg and 3Fg black powder.  Transitioning to black powder cartridge reloading seemed relatively easy.  I assumed all I needed was a rifle; appropriate reloading dies, cartridge cases, and a couple cast bullet moulds.  I was to later learn how shortsighted this assumption was.  

After seeing Quigley Down Under I spent a considerable amount of time figuring out how to get my hands on a copy of the rifle, which Shiloh specifically made for the movie.  It was an 1874 Sharps Buffalo Rifle in 45-110 Sharps (Straight) caliber, which is also referred to as the .45-110SS or .45x2-7/8.  Eventually, after some “soul searching”, I finally realized “The Quigley” rifle just wouldn’t fit into my budget.  But by that time I was hooked on BPCRs and became interested in silhouette competition.  I purchased my 1st BPCR late in 1996.  It was a Browning in .40-65 caliber.

Sometime later the writing bug bit me and I started to research and document the history and all aspects of the Browning BPCR with the intentions of publishing a book.  I've since purchased 4 additional Browning BPCRs including one Creedmore (Browning's spelling).  I'm still researching and working on the book, hopefully I'll get it published one of these days.

I've never managed to shoot in a silhouette match (although I've attended a couple, including Raton as a spectator) but have loaded and put many bullets downrange (usually 200 yards at paper) at a local range.

I've also acquired and shot a few Trapdoor rifles over the last 3 or 4 years.  I've sold some and still own a truly mint M1884 and one M1877 “stared” carbine in rough shape, which I'm in the process of cleaning up to use as a “shooter”.

I plan to use the TD carbine to take a deer or two soon, and my 2003 New Years resolution is to actually compete in a few silhouette matches with the Browning's.

Wayne

[Ted Kramer]

ButlerFord45,

I don't know if I can post any photos here or not, but I can tell you a bit about the buffalo with the flip-up tail. He's made from 3/8" steel plate, is about 28" tall to the top of the hump, 38" long from nose to butt. He is mounted on old steel skid plates from my haybine so he's portable. I cut out a 4"x6" (+/-) oval from his heart/lung area. Behind this I attached a hinged target made also from 3/8" steel. A linkage from the swinger makes the tail, made from 1/8" steel and painted bright red, flip up when a bullet goes through the hole and swings the target. We mostly use this critter at our cowboy lever silhouette matches and have it set at about 130 yards. We give the shooters three shots off crosssticks and score one point for a hit anywhere on the body, three points for a hit that makes the tail flip up.  I can email photos if you want to take a look. Ted[/img]